The Bills have a very good secondary. I'm not making excuses for Henne's inexperience and inconsistencies, but a win on the road in Buffalo is a victory in many ways.

We'll have to play better to beat the Vikings.

I'm with you, Dave. I was concerned going into this game about the Bills secondary, and I think Henne played a smart game. Next week, however, will be the true test of this team both offensively and defensively.

He is going to have to learn to take chances.... I mean the bills were stacking to stop the R & R express and doubling Marshall... Surely some of that man on man has to be tested if we are going to make that transition to the next level....

Oh well, its a W now they have a nice piece of film to dissect.... Hope Sparano makes them work tomorrow...

He talked about Henne's work ethic on the T Sparano show, said he was studying all off season when he didn't have to be there..... Really contradicted the media leak we had here earlier, unless he just flat out disagrees with BP....

BTW that touch pass to Fasano was perfect, there is a big improvement on ball placement and just floating it up there for him....

Henne played okay. Not great, not bad. He does need to learn to trust his receivers, Marshall in particular. With a guy like Marshall, Henne will need to re-evaluate what "open" means because Marshall will make catches even when he's smothered.

It will take some time, and 1 week is not enough to see what we have.

_________________A good RB is nice, a good QB even better, but it's best to be able to stop someone first.

Henne played okay. Not great, not bad. He does need to learn to trust his receivers, Marshall in particular. With a guy like Marshall, Henne will need to re-evaluate what "open" means because Marshall will make catches even when he's smothered.

It will take some time, and 1 week is not enough to see what we have.

Smartest post of the week. Henne did nothing to lose the game, nor win it. he makes the safe sure throw, but doesn't take chances. Perhaps too much time with Pennington.

Henne played okay. Not great, not bad. He does need to learn to trust his receivers, Marshall in particular. With a guy like Marshall, Henne will need to re-evaluate what "open" means because Marshall will make catches even when he's smothered.

It will take some time, and 1 week is not enough to see what we have.

Smartest post of the week. Henne did nothing to lose the game, nor win it. he makes the safe sure throw, but doesn't take chances. Perhaps too much time with Pennington.

Penny actually does take chances (see playoff game v BAL in 2008), he just doesn't have the arm to back it up anymore (not that he ever had a great arm).

_________________A good RB is nice, a good QB even better, but it's best to be able to stop someone first.

Henne made safe throws and didnt give the game away. He may still be haunted by some of those late game turnovers from last year and is still a little gun shy. Marshall and Hartline did their part in dropping a few balls which will further hurt the trust factor. The deep ball that hit Marshall in the numbers, while slightly overthrown, was irritating.

Henne made safe throws and didnt give the game away. He may still be haunted by some of those late game turnovers from last year and is still a little gun shy. Marshall and Hartline did their part in dropping a few balls which will further hurt the trust factor. The deep ball that hit Marshall in the numbers, while slightly overthrown, was irritating.

Henne took just a fraction of a second too long to make the throw and the result was an underthrown ball. If he had hit marshall in stride its 6. That one was on Henne.

I gotta start off to say that I saw very little of this game , only some of the first quarter. Obviously I thought the score would be more lopsided as I still think Buffalo is terrible. When I checked in the chat room for a second & questioned the offense as being the same old offense I was told no it is not , they are clicking. I guess just like in the past we keep playing down to our opponents level & up to the better teams. Still this is a road division win & I have little doubt there will be 12 more.

Henne played okay. Not great, not bad. He does need to learn to trust his receivers, Marshall in particular. With a guy like Marshall, Henne will need to re-evaluate what "open" means because Marshall will make catches even when he's smothered.

It will take some time, and 1 week is not enough to see what we have.

Yup..He played real safe,always going to the underneath guy which is fine to a point I guess. Sooner or later he's gonna have to go down the field and speaking of which what's with the recievers cutting the routes off before the sticks?..that really burned me, Bess was guilty of that on more than one occasion!..

I don't like to play the woulda shoulda coulda game but two dropped pick six's, a missed wide open Marshall for six, a Marshall drop that most likely coulda been six and a missed field goal?...

That's 31 points guy's and we know how close those plays were so was it all that bad?..

Henne made safe throws and didnt give the game away. He may still be haunted by some of those late game turnovers from last year and is still a little gun shy. Marshall and Hartline did their part in dropping a few balls which will further hurt the trust factor. The deep ball that hit Marshall in the numbers, while slightly overthrown, was irritating.

Henne took just a fraction of a second too long to make the throw and the result was an underthrown ball. If he had hit marshall in stride its 6. That one was on Henne.

This.

Marshall should still have made that catch, but the problem problem was in the throw not being what it needed to be.

_________________A good RB is nice, a good QB even better, but it's best to be able to stop someone first.

I said it earlier and I'll say it again....Henne was managing the game. Last time against Buffalo he had three costly picks. This time, the defense was playing great, and Bills offense was sucking it up. He wasn't (nor was the coaching staff going to allow him) going to throw risky passes.Throw good percentage throws, and give receivers and opportunity to make a play underneath...if they can't, punt it away and let the defense win it.That appeared to be the philosophy.

They will need to stretch the field next week, and spread out Minnesota next week with their banged up secondary.

Henne doesn't seem to have much confidence in his arm. He has the strength and accuracy to put that ball on the money but too often he misses his man or underthrows the ball. That pass to Marshall today when he had two defenders beat by a mile really proves my point. Sure Marshall dropped a pass he should have caught, but he never should have had to slow up for that ball. Henne HAS TO hit his man in stride when he has opportunities like that. We saw it in the preseason when he missed a wide open Hartline, and we saw it here again today when he missed a wide open Marshall. Making that connection was a sure touchdown and would have given our players and this team some much needed confidence, and it might have put the dagger in the Jills hearts early on. If Henne is going to be the man, he needs to start making those plays now. I do give him credit though for a beautiful pass to Fasano early on in the game. That was a great read and pass.

If Henne is going to be the man, he needs to start making those plays now.

You would have wanted Drew Brees run out of town if the Dolphins had drafted him.

Sorry if an honest and fair assessment ruffles your feathers. No need to start making inaccurate accusations though. I also don't recall ever saying that Henne should be benched or anything silly like that; so your way out in left field on the Brees statement. And for what it's worth, I honestly don't think Brees would have done half as well in Miami as he has done in N.O.. We didn't have near the same offense and coaching staff that Brees had/has.

My feather aren't ruffled, but there was nothing fair about your assessment. Unrealistic is more like it.

Quote:

No need to start making inaccurate accusations though.

Ooooh yeah an accusation... I'm sending the gestapo after you!!

Based on what you are saying about Henne, you would have no patience for a Drew Brees who struggled for three seasons before showing any life.

Quote:

I also don't recall ever saying that Henne should be benched or anything silly like that

You said he has to start making these plays NOW if he is going to be the man.

So it is safe to assume by that comment that if he doesn't make the plays NOW, you do not think he will be the man. If you do not think he will be the man, what would you do with him? Leave him as the starter for the next decade?

Can everyone here understand that Henne isn't going to be Tom Brady or even Matt Schaub at this point. Its one game. It will get better.

Why not????????????

You heard it from Sparano. He's "their baby." He's not allowed to make big boy plays just yet.

As for the deep throw to Marshall that everyone seems to use to define the day, he threw into the wind, it happens, it still got there and Marshall should have caught it. He probably could have made a move or two and still gone for six.

Look, I've seen high school QB's that can make that throw about 75% of the time. He is thinking way too much out there. Instead of taking a shot at 1 on 1 coverage and putting the ball where only his man can make the catch he simply holds onto it trying to wait for them to clear. Secondly, he was constantly throwing short of the sticks. The offense for its part, just about single handedly brought the Bills back into the game by matching them on 3 and outs about 3 times in the 2nd half. On one play, Ronnie went out wide, Marshall hooked underneath and Ronnie went deep. He throws to Marshall despite Ronnie streaking down the sideline by himself. He missed Marshall on a fade early in the game. He misses Hartline on a post. He missed Marshall clearing on a post. He didn't even find Bess until the 2nd half. He played smart but I thought I was watching Jay Fiedler out there. No one expects 300 and 3 TDS but is it too much to ask for 200-250 with 1-2 TDs. The Bills got zero pressure except when they blitzed. As much as they said don't worry, I'm now concerned that last year's offense is the same as this years offense. Bludgeon the defense with Ricky and Ronnie and try and pick and poke a 9 man front all game. They went deep twice....if you call the fade pattern deep. The other one was a mistake of a throw and a mistake on the catch. They never even tried it again. The Bills Defense tightened in the 3rd and Miami did nothing to make them regret it. There's a lot of work to do.

My feather aren't ruffled, but there was nothing fair about your assessment. Unrealistic is more like it.

Quote:

No need to start making inaccurate accusations though.

Ooooh yeah an accusation... I'm sending the gestapo after you!!

Based on what you are saying about Henne, you would have no patience for a Drew Brees who struggled for three seasons before showing any life.

Quote:

I also don't recall ever saying that Henne should be benched or anything silly like that

You said he has to start making these plays NOW if he is going to be the man.

So it is safe to assume by that comment that if he doesn't make the plays NOW, you do not think he will be the man. If you do not think he will be the man, what would you do with him? Leave him as the starter for the next decade?

Well since Im not saying that he needs to be benched nor do i think he needs to be Tom Brady in year two, I guess its not safe to assume. Im merely saying that if he is going to be the answer this team has looked for since Marino, he needs tocontinue to show improvement. Like it or not, fans are going to be impatient. Im not saying I think its fair, but that's the way the NFL is these days. I think we are both in agreement that Henne shows some promise. Im excited for the future but i want to see us continue to improve now; notbe superbowl contenders, but at least be tough and competitive.

My feather aren't ruffled, but there was nothing fair about your assessment. Unrealistic is more like it.

Quote:

No need to start making inaccurate accusations though.

Ooooh yeah an accusation... I'm sending the gestapo after you!!

Based on what you are saying about Henne, you would have no patience for a Drew Brees who struggled for three seasons before showing any life.

Quote:

I also don't recall ever saying that Henne should be benched or anything silly like that

You said he has to start making these plays NOW if he is going to be the man.

So it is safe to assume by that comment that if he doesn't make the plays NOW, you do not think he will be the man. If you do not think he will be the man, what would you do with him? Leave him as the starter for the next decade?

To be fair, though I will say that I agree with your argument in substance, it's NEVER safe to assume anything.

Especially when it isn't really all that clear that he was making the argument you accuse him of making.

_________________A good RB is nice, a good QB even better, but it's best to be able to stop someone first.

Well since Im not saying that he needs to be benched nor do i think he needs to be Tom Brady in year two, I guess its not safe to assume.

You're saying he needs to make those throws NOW if he is going to be the man. You're not giving him much time or room for development, because it has to be NOW.

Quote:

Im merely saying that if he is going to be the answer this team has looked for since Marino, he needs tocontinue to show improvement.

That sounds like a far cry from "he needs to make those plays NOW if he is going to be the man". You go from giving him no wiggle room (now or never) to being a lot more patient all of a sudden.

Sorry that all of a sudden you seem to be running away from your initial statement.

Yes he needs to hit open receivers NOW in order for him to be the man in Miami. I don't know why your having such a hard time with this and no I haven't shied from my initial statements, merely clarified them for someone jumping to conclusions. I never said why it has to be NOW did I? I clarified the statement for you because you were jumping to your own conclusions. Again, let me hone the point here. Quarterbacks in this league have a very short window now days. If fans see a qb miss a wide open receiver and the qb continues to do those things, they get very impatient. When I say that Henne needs to do those things NOW in order to be the man in Miami, it is because I see the writing on the wall. If he doesn't give the fans what they want, if he doesn't show the media what they want, if he doesn't win for the coaching staff, all of them will turn on him. Right or wrong, thats the way it is. You use Brees as your example so I will use that as well. Brees didn't truly succeed until he went to the Saints. His last season in SD was pretty good, but nothing like the spectacular successes he has had in N.O.. Henne will need to show everyone this year that he is improving or the natives will begin to get very restless. Add in the factor that this is the Trifecta's third season, and what you get are some pretty high expectations (even if they are unfair to Henne). This may only be the start of Henne's second season starting, but make no mistake, he will be judged harshly if he falters. So when I say he needs to start making those throws now (hitting wide open receivers), it's not because I will give up on him this season if he doesn't, its because I recognize the reality of the situation in regards to the media, fans, and pressure on this coaching staff to succeed now. Do you understand me now?

What's interesting is many blame it on play-calling, Henning, need of more pro-bowl WRs, etc ... but truth be told, the plays are callled the WRs are open ... but usually get check down to 1-5 yd pass. Longer passes are generally late and/or inaccurate.

I guess I should name Henne's 2 Big Positives, because they are HUGE!! (listed his shortcomings in the post above)

He doesn't help the other team too much & give the game away ... common in the NFL.

He doesn't get maimed & killed too much ... also common in the NFL.

As far as folks saying Henne's good at managing the game ... I don't see that at all .. that's the short leash Henning & Sparano have him on ... Coaches manage the game ... & do a pretty darn good job at it with the players we have.

You what Dan Marino did, or was allowed to do, in his 3rd year? Montana? Farve? Elway? Kelly? Brady? Manning?

You spout off names as if you know what you're talking about, but Elway didn't put up good numbers until his 4th season as a starter and even then wasn't putting up Hall of Fame numbers until his 10th season. Jim Kelly wasn't flying high until his fourth season either. Much like Brees...

Not every great QB is putting up numbers in his 1st or 2nd or even 3rd year as a starter. Some guys take time.

You might want to read the rest of the context of your original post. Nowhere in there did you even allude to having any patience with him. You basically slammed him for your entire post until the end when you gave him credit for one throw. Not once do you acknowledge that it is his first opening start, that the Bills have an excellent secondary, that it is a division rival on the road (always tough no matter how bad the other team is).

Given that type of context and then your statement that he needs to do it now, it leads the reader to believe you are ready to give up on him.

Forgive me for jumping to the conclusion that I did, but your original post really didn't give the reader much of a choice.

We should check the waiver wire this week. Romo, Ryan, McNabb, Palmer and Stafford weren't connecting or making perfect throws every time out so they'll probably cut or benched. 5th rounder should probably do it if they aren't cut.

I'm also going to quit my job and become an agent for local high school quarterbacks because apparently they connect on 75% of their deep throws into the wind. Look out Rosenhaus.